This invention relates to the branding of tires and more particularly to a cold-branding apparatus wherein a name or mark is branded onto the sidewalls of a cured tire.
In the manufacture of tires, it is customary during the vulcanization process to provide on the mold, a recess to receive a branding plate which has raised indicia thereon, so that during the vulcanization process, the company name or mark is imprinted thereon. In certain instances it is desirable to delete the brand name from the mold and cure the tire in otherwise the conventional way. Thereafter such unbranded tires are stored and thereafter branded as needed. The manufacture and storage of such unbranded tires facilitates the continuous uninterrupted manufacturing process. Such after branding is referred to as cold-branding.
Cold-branding involves the use of a branding plate which has either raised indicia thereon or recesses engraved indicia therein to facilitate the flow of rubber therein to form the indicia. The plate containing the indicia is heated to a temperature below that which will burn rubber, and by pressing such heated plate or platen against the sidewall of a tire will imprint a mark on the tire and giving the appearance as if such mark was part of the initial vulcanization process. The branding times vary in accordance with the temperature and pressure applied. In order to facilitate the cold or after branding process, a cold-branding machine has been developed which receives a tire, has a pair of plates, one being heated to permit the cold-branding process to be applied to the desired area of a tire. In order to achieve greater efficiency, an apparatus has been developed which reduces the handling time for processing these tires and effecting greater overall efficiencies.